Pakistan has communicated to the International Court of Justice about its decision to designate former chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani to be its Judge Ad hoc in the case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, read a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

Currently, none of the judges on the ICJ panel is of Pakistani nationality. Under ICJ rules, “a state party to a case before the ICJ which does not have a judge of its nationality on the bench may choose a person to sit as an ad hoc judge in that specific case”.

Justice Jillani served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from July 31, 2004, to December 11, 2013, and subsequently as the 21st Chief Justice of Pakistan from December 11, 2013, until July 5, 2014.

India already has Judge Dalveer Bhandari, who has been a member of the court since April 27, 2012, on the panel.

The ICJ panel had ordered Pakistan to stay the death penalty of the Indian spy Jadhav, till a final judgement is passed, in a verdict issued in May.

Following the world court's decision, the Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali had announced that Pakistan will appoint an ad hoc judge when formal proceedings of the case will begin.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...